PSYCHIATRISTS have disagreed on the mental state of a Buddhist monk facing a murder charge for hacking another Sri Lankan holy man to death with a meat cleaver in a Basingstoke hotel.

Prosecution witness Dr James Ormsby told Winchester Crown Court he did not think Thero - the Sri Lankan phrase for reverend - Nalaka Rathmalane was suffering an abnormality of mind when he killed Thero Siriwimala Patapiliyagoda on December 20, 2001.

Both he and defence psychiatrist Dr Tony Nayani interviewed Rathmalane in prison about his state of mind leading up to the killing which, the defendant said, happened after weeks of insults and threats from 30-year-old Mr Patapiliyagoda, also known as Wimal.

Dr Ormsby said Rathmalane, 36, might have been suffering from maldepressive symptoms, but that he did not report being in a persistant low mood, which is indicative of clinical depression.

"I didn't feel that the depressive symptoms he was showing would affect his judgement and concentration," said Dr Ormsby.

When prosecutor Michael Parroy, QC, asked him: "Is it possible for somebody who is normally a quite placid sort of person to lose their temper so far that they are able to inflict serious harm on another person without any sort of mental illness?", Dr Ormsby replied: "Yes."

"Can anger and fear produce that sort of reaction?" asked Mr Parroy. "Yes," said Dr Ormsby.

Dr Nayani's initial report said Rathmalane had been suffering from severe depression before the killing, but after reading Dr Ormsby's report and listening to the evidence in court, he changed his diagnosis to moderately severe depression.

However, he maintained that Rathmalane did have an abnormality of mind during the killing, which the expert believes impaired his judgement and self-control.

Dr Nayani said: "What I think is strikingly absent from Dr Ormsby's examination is any facts that are culturally relevant, particularly the experience of shame and guilt and the feelings that he was being punished for misbehaving in a previous life."

Rathmalane denies murder but has admitted killing Wimal in the room they shared at the staff quarters of Audleys Wood Hotel.

After the killing, he put Wimal's body into a suitcase but decided to abandon it after being taken to Basingstoke train station by taxi.

Defence barrister Owen Davies QC has told the jurors they can return a verdict of manslaughter if they decide Rathmalane was provoked until he lost control or he was less responsible for his actions because of his mental state.

The closing speeches in the trial began on Friday and the judge was due to start summing up today.

The trial continues